Until the Moon Swallows the Sun
by Basikilos
Summary: After Ke'ri's death, Lon'qu joins the Shepherds in their quest to stop the Mad King. His new companions try to form friendships with him, but old scars run deep. Will Lon'qu be able to heal his wounds from the past?
1. Chapter 1

_With Naga's holy blessing and Tiki's divine grace_

 _Beyond the edges of the earth and the reaches of heaven_

 _Until the sun swallows the moon and the stars fall from the sky_

 _Lon'qu, I promise to love you always_

* * *

It was three years to the day that Ke'ri died. Lon'qu awoke with a start, her final words echoing through his mind. These dreams came less frequently, now, but the thought of her was never far from his mind. He took his time getting up, working out the kinks in his shoulders and cracking the joints in his neck.

"Long day ahead of us," Stahl nodded towards Lon'qu. "You'd better stretch everything out properly."

"Why, what's happened?" Lon'qu asked. The Shepherds had been tasked with escorting Exalt Emmeryn to the Plegian border, but he wasn't sure why.

"Maribelle has been kidnapped by the Plegian army. We're dealing with a possible hostage situation here," Chrom explained as he passed by.

A short ride later, Lon'qu watched the confrontation between the Exalt and the Mad King unfold. It was remarkable, he thought, how their personalities perfectly contrasted. But it looked as though a battle was unavoidable, and quickly, the Shepherds gathered in a huddle around Chrom and Robin. Lon'qu marveled at how quickly the tactician had been accepted, no, integral to the inner workings of the Shepherds.

"Alright, here's the plan," Robin said, speaking quickly. "Sumia, you'll take Lon'qu to where Ricken and Maribelle are. Lon'uq, keep the two of them safe until the rest of the group can rendezvous with the three of you. Sumia, after you've dropped Lon'qu off, come back and regroup with us. I don't want you to be exposed to enemy archers for too long. After we've all rejoined, we can clear out the rest of our enemies at our leisure. The main priority right now is keeping the Ricken and Maribelle safe. Got it?"

"Got it," the Shepherds chorused.

Thankfully, Sumia was one of the few Shepherds who wasn't always trying to "cure" his gynephobia. As a result, the ride passed by in utter silence. High up in the air, Lon'qu spotted the two Shepherds, completely surrounded by enemy forces. He gritted his teeth. Considering that only Ricken was capable of dealing damage, this situation could be harder than he previously thought.

"Looks like they're in a bit of trouble," Sumia commented nervously as she alighted on the ground. "Good luck, Lon'qu."

And with that, she was gone in a flurry of feathers. Good thing too, Lon'qu thought to himself. Surely she had spotted the archers that were beginning to close in on the cornered Shepherds. With a few flicks of his blade, he dispensed the few soldiers that were the most imminent threat.

Now, he turned towards the approaching archers, assuming a battle stance. However, a tap on the back caused him to whip back around, blade at the ready.

"O-oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." The boy gazed up at Lon'qu with childish, innocent, eyes. "Hi. My name's Ricken, and this is Maribelle. Thanks for getting the two of us out of that tight spot back there."

Lon'qu grunted noncommittally. "Just following my orders."

"Oh," Ricken said, crestfallen at the abrupt reply. "So what's your name?"

Maribelle sniffed. "Leave him alone, Ricken. He clearly doesn't want to talk to us. Besides, there are more pressing issues at hand." She nodded towards the several Plegian archers, now backed by a few reinforcements.

"Well, what are you dunderheads waiting for?" their captain yelled. "There's only three of them, and one's a girl and the other's a little kid!"

Ricken's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "I know I'm small, but don't underestimate me!" An elfire spell burst from the air and set the enemy captain alight.

"Hmph. Serves the barbarian right," Maribelle commented.

In short order, Ricken and Lon'qu dispatched the remaining soldies while Maribelle healed whatever glancing injuries that they sustained.

Wave after wave of enemies came at them, one right after the other, so that there was no time for speaking. Lon'qu would have gladly died before telling Ricken, but for once, he appreciated having somebody cover his back. These days, Robin almost always put Lon'qu on solo missions, having long ago given up on getting the aloof swordsman to 'buddy up' with anyone.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chrom and the other Shepherds regrouped with the three of them, cutting through what little was left of the Plegian attack force.

"Good work, Lon'qu," Chrom commended, surveying the destruction with a critical eye. Lon'qu nodded his thanks. Behind him, he heard a sharp intake of breath from Maribelle but couldn't be bothered to ask her about it.

"It's not like he did all that on his own!" Ricken blurted out. "I helped a lot, too!"

"Yes, yes, and good job Ricken," Chrom added, humoring him. "Now, it's time we took out the rest of these Plegians. Shepherds, to arms!"

* * *

A/N: Just a companion piece to Until the Stars Fall from the Sky. I'll be trying to update semi-regularly, haha.


	2. Chapter 2

All throughout dinner, Maribelle tried to surreptitiously observe Lon'qu. Was Lon'qu a common name in Chon'sin? Or could the reticent myrmidon truly be the same Lon'qu that Ke'ri had always written about in her letters before…before she had been murdered? She was still furious with the barbarians that had brought her beloved friend's life to an untimely end. They would get their comeuppance, she vowed. Her mind returned to the previous matter she had been pondering. If it was the same Lon'qu, then what had brought him to join the Shepherds? Chon'sin was a long way from Ylisse.

Either way, Maribelle was sure that Ke'ri would be distraught if she could see Lon'qu now. After all of her hard effort, he had once more retreated into his shell. There was no doubt that her death had something to do with it, but still, he should be able to see that this would not have been what she wanted.

It didn't look like anything was going to change, not without intervention. Well. She supposed she would have to take the matter into her own hands.

* * *

She had heard from Robin that Lon'qu had prep duty the following day, and accordingly cornered him in the kitchens. She also found irrefutable proof that he _was_ the same Lon'qu that Ke'ri had written about.

"Lon'qu. I _knew_ it was you."

Bewildered, Lon'qu stopped put down the potato he was in the midst of peeling. "You don't know me," he said bluntly. "I met you yesterday."

"That may be true, but one of my dearest friends often wrote to me about you," Maribelle countered. "And she told me how great you were at peeling potatoes."

"She told you about that?" the strangeness of the situation made Lon'qu chuckle. The sound was strange to his ears. When was the last time he had laughed out loud? "So you are Ke'ri's Ylissean friend."

"I was Ke'ri's Ylissean friend," Maribelle reaffirmed. He winced, realizing that he had accidentally spoken in the present tense. Ke'ri was gone, and nothing could change that.

"And I do not know the details of her death, but I know for a fact that she would be miserable to see you the way you are now!" Maribelle's next statement took him off guard.

"What?"

"Look at yourself," Maribelle snapped. "You refuse to talk to anyone, you keep to yourself, and you mope about all the time. And to add to that, you developed this strange phobia that half the females in the army are trying to cure!"

"Not that I asked them to," Lon'qu replied stiffly.

"That is beside the point," she huffed. "My point is that Ke'ri would be sad to know that you turned out this way. You shame her memory, wallowing in your own self-pity and unnecessary penance."

It was the truth, and it stung. Lon'qu lashed back, retaliating to her harsh words. "And who are you to pretend to understand how she would have felt? You weren't there when she died. You weren't there to hear her last words. And I never asked for your help. Leave me alone." It was the first time he had lost his temper since joining the Shepherds. Before then, Lon'qu had not raised his voice louder than his customary sullen grumblings.

Maribelle, clearly, had been shocked into silence. At the corners of her eyes, he saw tears beginning to well. Belatedly, Lon'qu realized that perhaps he had gone too far. He had even surprised himself with his acerbic reply. But he refused to apologize. After all, she was the one who had instigated this conversation. Lon'qu finished peeling the final potato, dropped it into a bowl with the others, and stalked off.

* * *

The tears that Maribelle had been trying to hold back finally spilled over when Lon'qu left the room. "That ingrate!" she muttered halfheartedly. All she had wanted to do was help. Sure, she might not have known _exactly_ what Ke'ri would have wanted, but as her former friend, she could certainly guess.

Gradually, she calmed down and began to dissect what went wrong during her carefully planned intervention. She wondered if Lon'qu's angry outburst had been a defense mechanism. From what she had heard from the other Shepherds, Lon'qu wasn't prone to excessive displays of emotion.

"You all right there, Maribelle?" Stahl's voice sounded from the entryway. "I just passed by Lon'qu, and he did _not_ look happy."

Quickly, she dried her face and collected herself before turning to face him. "I'm fine."

The brunette rustled his hair, looking skeptical. "You know, with all of my experience in dealing with people who are upset, I've learned that there are two very different types of people."

"And what would be the two types?" Maribelle asked, temporarily distracted from the issue of Lon'qu and his hurtful words.

"The ones who want to talk about it with somebody else, and the ones who simply want to be left alone," Stahl replied.

Mari sniffled. Perhaps she had not regained her composure as well as she thought she had. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked. Unbidden, an undignified hiccup accompanied her question.

Stahl coughed awkwardly. "Well, I was wondering which type you are."

"Ugh," Maribelle huffed. "I suppose there is no use keeping up this façade. You see straight through me."

"The red eyes and the hiccupping were pretty much dead giveaways," Stahl pointed out. "If I'm bothering you, I can leave now," he offered belatedly.

"No, it's alright," Maribelle sighed. "I think I would like some advice. It's Lon'qu, if you haven't guessed already. He won't hear me out. I know why he is the way he is, and I know for a fact that he needs to get over it. He's making his life miserable, and I'm sure Ke'ri wouldn't be happy to see how he is now."

"Hm…" Stahl scratched his chin. "Have you ever heard of the saying, 'you catch more flies with honey than vinegar', Maribelle?"

She scoffed. "Of course I have. But don't let Miriel catch you saying that. It's not actually true, you know."

"Well, I think that's the idea here," Stahl said. "You came at him a little too strong, and he naturally reacted defensively. Maybe if you tried a gentler approach…?" he trailed off, leaving the suggestion open.

Maribelle sniffed. "I think I've had my feelings trodden upon enough for today. Why don't you try talking to him?"

Stahl shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

* * *

A/N: Happy thanksgiving, all you Americans out there!


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Lon'qu was dealing with yet another annoyance. The current bane to his existence was dogging his every footstep, peppering him with questions.

"So why are you afraid of girls?"

Lon'qu hesitated in the middle of his stride, then continued as though he had not heard the question. Best not to encourage more questions.

"Okay, maybe that was too personal of a question." The boy continued, undeterred. "How did you meet Basilio? How did you become a myrmidon? Where did you learn how to fight? Can you teach me?"

The rapid-fire onslaught of questions only irritated Lon'qu more. He increased his pace, trying to leave the boy behind. However, Ricken ran in front of Lon'qu, blocking his path.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Ricken was shouting at Lon'qu now. "Is it because you think I'm a little kid? That I'm too young to understand pain and suffering?"

For a moment, Lon'qu was reminded of the young mage who had defeated him all those years ago, back in the Chon'sin arenas. He paused. Perhaps the boy deserved an answer. After all, Ricken had a point. He was not alone in his suffering. Violence and war took its toll on all people, without discrimination.

He would tell the boy about his childhood, about how he met Ke'ri, how she saved him from the arenas, how even her laughter was musical. He would teach the boy the art of the sword, giving him more versatility on the battlefield.

Lon'qu opened his mouth to speak, then paused. And then what? Surely, the boy would begin to look to Lon'qu as a mentor. And Lon'qu would grow attached. And inevitably, the boy would die. And Lon'qu wouldn't – no, _couldn't_ – be able to bear something like that again. He would break, he knew it.

And so Lon'qu continued onwards, leaving Ricken to stew in frustration and discontent. It was not his problem. He repeated the mantra over and over again, trying to convince himself it was true.

* * *

It was inevitable that in following Lon'qu's path, Stahl would come across a crying Ricken.

"That man really is on the warpath today," he muttered to himself. "Hullo, Ricken! What's wrong?"

Ricken glared at Stahl. "Nothing. Stop treating me like a little kid." He stuck out his chin and furrowed his brow, trying to look brave. The effect, however, was spoiled by his youthful face – making him only look even more like a pouting child.

Probably best to leave him alone, Stahl decided. Besides, any comforting words Stahl could offer would only sound patronizing to Ricken right now. No, it was better to focus on the cause of the problem. It was time to do some damage control.

* * *

When Lon'qu returned to the barracks, a messy haired cavalier was waiting for him.

Lon'qu grimaced. Already, this day had been long enough. Already, plenty of people were trying to pick his brain about his gynophobia. He did not want Stahl to start. He scowled darkly at Stahl, hoping that it would be enough to deter the man from attempting to start any sort of conversation.

It was not.

"Listen, Lon'qu," Stahl leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "You seem a bit stressed. Let's get a few drinks in town, on me."

The silly man was grasping at straws. Stahl, nay, all the members of the Shepherds, should know quite well that Lon'qu did not want to make friends. Perhaps the best way to avoid talking to this oaf was simply by ignoring him. Lon'qu breezed past Stahl, walking briskly towards the training grounds.

"Or we can spar!" Stahl called out after him. "Sparring's a good way to get rid of all that tension, you know. It's bad for you. Got to get it out of your system. Do you need a sparring partner?"

* * *

Stiff-backed, Lon'qu continued walking away from Stahl. The cavalier rolled his eyes. The stubborn man was remarkably adept at avoiding conversation. But in the end, Stahl was sure he would prevail. After all, he knew Lon'qu's weak point.

"Or could it be that you're afraid to spar against me?"

Slowly, Lon'qu turned around. Stahl raised an eyebrow, concealing his inner triumph. It didn't matter whether or not he won or lost the match, of course. It only mattered that he had finally caught Lon'qu's attention, and that he would be able to use the training session to initiate a conversation.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Yes. Yes I am," Stahl replied.

"Do not expect for me to go easy on you. Although you may be skilled in both the lance and the sword, our match will be conducted with only blades," Lon'qu specified.

Stahl grinned. "So, does that mean you accept?"

"Basilio never turned down a challenge and neither will I," Lon'qu answered. "I will see you at the training grounds in a few minutes."

"Suits me." Outwardly, Stahl did his best to project an unworried and laissez-faire attitude. However, on the inside, he was starting to worry. Lon'qu's skill with the sword was well-known throughout all of Ylisse. Perhaps he'd bitten off a little more than he could chew.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a bit rougher to get out - trying to stick to a schedule, hahaha.


	4. Chapter 4

The fool had bitten off more than he could chew. Lon'qu was well acquainted with Stahl's skill with the sword, and he knew for a fact that the match would be horribly one-sided. But Lon'qu would not be merciful, for it was not in his nature to go easy on his opponents.

* * *

Stahl placed a hand on his hip, gasping for air. "Break? Please?" he implored. But there was to be no such mercy found from Lon'qu.

"We haven't finished our match yet, Stahl," Lon'qu smiled grimly. "Best three out of five, right?"

"Can I concede?" Stahl asked wearily. "You win, I just…give up."

"Are you serious?" Lon'qu allowed a frown to flit across his face. He knew why Stahl had challenged him, and he was going to use that to his advantage. "I don't know if I can respect you anymore if you're going to do that. First you issue me a challenge, then you try to call me a coward for refusing to engage, and now that I've acquiesced, you simply want to give up?"

"Okay, okay," Stahl panted. "Just give me a second to…catch my breath."

"Wait!" The voice boomed out across the training field, and the two duelers paused to look at the newcomer.

"Stahl is seeming to be very tired, no? Perhaps is best if Gregor takes his place."

Stahl gave his savior a grateful look. "If you don't mind, Lon'qu?"

"Hmph."

Too tired to care anymore, Stahl took the grunt as a yes. "Well, Gregor, you can take it from here. I'll just watch on the sidelines."

* * *

So. His new opponent was the mercenary. Actually, Lon'qu had been meaning to challenge Gregor for quite a while. It was quite fortuitous that events had unfolded as they had. Better sooner than later, right?

Just as Lon'qu had the thought, his opponent executed a flurry of moves, and before he knew it, a blade was pressing against his throat. He stepped back, astonished.

"W-wait. Let's start over. I wasn't ready," he stammered, unused to being caught off guard, this being the first time in years that he had been bested in the ring. Excluding his one-sided matches with Basilio, of course.

"You are making with the excuses. But Gregor is kind," the man sniffed. "Gregor will 'let you have another go', is that how you say?"

The second time around, Lon'qu was able to put up more of a fight. But despite how hard he fought, Gregor was always faster. Gregor was always stronger. Gregor could always seem to anticipate whatever move Lon'qu was planning to make next.

Before he knew it, the sword was pressing against his neck again. The old man's face was mere inches away from his. "Listen, boy. Gregor was strong mercenary in past, but now he stronger than ever before. Know why?" Gregor lowered his voice conspiratorially, leaning towards Lon'qu, increasing the pressure on the blade ever so slightly.

Not waiting for an answer, he continued onward. "Because Gregor is having a reason to fight. Gregor wants to protect his friends. Why do _you_ want to be strong, boy?"

He lowered his blade and waked away, leaving a flustered Lon'qu to mull over his parting words. Lon'qu had not missed Gregor's subtle implication: that Lon'qu did not consider the Shepherds as friends.

* * *

A few peaceful days of quiet passed by. Lon'qu should have known that it wasn't going to last. Sure enough, the newest recruit, Cherche, now walked towards him with a steely glint in her eye.

"Lon'qu. Back in Chon'sin, is it true that you once knew a girl named Ke'ri?"

Lon'qu could not breathe. It seemed that the shadow of her death would follow him wherever he went.

"No," he replied. "You must be mistaken."

He turned tail and quickly paced away, missing the speculative gaze on the wyvern rider's face.

* * *

Daybreak. Robin seems to have finally gotten the message that Lon'qu does not want to be paired with other units. Lon'qu fights best alone. Lon'qu always has. After all, comrades are liabilities.

Lon'qu was stationed by himself, guarding an outpost from enemy reinforcements. When he regrouped with the others, he was surprised to see that Maribelle and Lissa were both gone. Ricken and Kellam were also missing from the gathering.

"What happened?" he asked. Stahl's normally cheerful face was grim.

"There was a dark mage on the other side," Stahl replied. "Ricken got hit pretty bad. And Kellam got ambushed. Bad luck that Maribelle and Lissa were on the other side of the battlefield. Hopefully the two of them will be okay."

Lon'qu nodded curtly, and then began to walk back to his quarters. _I told you so_ , he intoned to himself, patting himself on the back for pushing away the young mage. Making friends in a world filled with such meaningless loss simply made no sense.

* * *

That night, Lon'qu slept uneasily, dreaming of a boy whose only wish was to gain the respect of his fellow Shepherds.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late update, friends! I need to plan in advance more...


	5. Chapter 5

After a restless night, Lon'qu grabbed a quick bowl of tasteless congee and hurried off to find a quiet corner where he could eat breakfast alone. He firmly subscribed to the conviction that no news was better than bad news, and as long as nobody came to give him updates on Ricken, he could go on believing that everything was alright.

The approach of a messy-haired cavalier dashed Lon'qu's hopes of remaining alone for the morning.

"You again. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to let you know that Ricken is all right. It was a close call, though."

Lon'qu's spirits lifted, though he quickly masked the smile that threatened to break through. "And what of Kellam?"

"Who? Oh, right. He's okay too." Stahl rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You know, if you wanted to, you could always go drop by the med tent and check up on them."

Lon'qu nodded in acknowledgement. "Maybe I will."

"You know, I'm actually heading over there right now. You could come with me?" Stahl trailed off.

"Maybe not now," Lon'qu demurred.

Stahl raised an eyebrow. "You know, usually when people say 'not now' to me, I know that they'll never end up actually doing the things that they say they're going to do."

"Don't push it," Lon'qu growled.

"Okay, okay," Stahl raised his hands in surrender. As he left, he remarked offhandedly, "Just in case you wanted to know, the med tent's located two tents north of the mess hall."

Lon'qu did not dignify him with a reply.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Lon'qu was cornered yet again.

"You know, it's rather rude that you keep running away anytime someone tries to talk to you," Cherche said. "It's a good way to destroy any potential friendships."

Lon'qu's heartbeat quickened as the familiar anxiety of his gynophobia set in. It had been a mistake to continue sitting in this corner, he realized. There was nowhere to run. "Go away."

"Listen, Lon'qu, you don't know the whole story..." Cherche began. "I know that it's difficult for you to talk to me, but I assumed that you wouldn't want other people to know of your past."

"This is true," Lon'qu replied, "but I also don't want to hear what you have to say. If you know of Ke'ri, then you must also know exactly why I left Chon'sin, and the weight of my sins."

The wyvern rider's eyes narrowed. "I cannot pretend to understand your pain, Lon'qu. And I'm not telling you to forget about her. But you do her a disservice by living such an unhappy life in her memory." She pressed a piece of paper into his palm, then walked briskly away.

Unraveling the folded sheet of paper, Lon'qu smoothed away the creases and began to read.

 _Lon'qu,_

 _A week after I left, I learned of my folly. A shepherd told me everything - of how you fought like a man possessed, of how she gave her life to save you, of how you ran to his cabin to seek help. And while my own daughter lay bleeding on the ground, I stood there condemning a half-grown child who had given his all to save her. I have nothing but shame for how I acted towards you, and I can only hope that you will forgive an old man for his mistakes._

 _Shuo'li_

Resolutely, Lon'qu folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. He would make his way to see Ricken tonight, he resolved.

* * *

Ricken blinked. His body hurt. In the corner of the med tent, a figure sat, head resting against a bed.

"Lon'qu?"

"Ricken," the myrmidon replied stiffly.

"I didn't think you'd come," Ricken said. He left his other thought unspoken. _I didn't think you cared_.

* * *

In the boy's eyes, Lon'qu saw wariness and caution. He sighed. He'd played a part in putting those there, he realized. "...do you still want to know how I became a myrmidon?" Lon'qu asked.

The boy nodded.

Lon'qu settled down on the bed beside Ricken, making himself comfortable. His voice was halting, unsteady and unsure. But as he began a story of a boy and a girl from Chon'sin, he felt as though an unspeakable weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait (if anyone /is/ still reading this). I decided I'd better wrap up this story before another two-year long hiatus began! I actually had hoped to work in a solar eclipse (the way that Until the Stars Fall from the Sky ended with a meteor shower), especially since Panne and Gregor's supports have a solar eclipse in them, but I guess it didn't turn out that way. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


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